By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer Original report from Phnom Penh
22 December 2008
Prime Minister Hun Sen on Monday called on motorcycle riders to wear helmets “100 percent” to avoid the hundreds of traffic fatalities that occur each year.
“If you want to drive your motorcycle without a fine, you must wear your helmet from now on,” he said during a graduate student ceremony in Phnom Penh, “to protect your life and to avoid road accidents as well as property damage.”
More the 1,500 people were reported killed in traffic accidents in 2007, nearly double the number in 2003. An Asian Development Bank survey in 2003 counted 824 dead in road accidents, estimating a $116 million cost to the country.
“The traffic law will be fully implemented and fined from Jan. 1, 2009, because the road accidents causes the loss of human life more and more,” Hun Sen said, calling traffic fatalities a “bigger disaster” than AIDS and land mines.
The prime minister also called on civil servants, police and commune and village leaders to wear helmets as an example, while urging helmet vendors to keep prices low.
Travel on Cambodian roadways without a helmet is punishable by a 3,000 riel, or $0.70, fine. By contrast, a helmet can cost between $10 and $20.
Meas Chan Dy, coordinator for helmet safety at Handicap International Belgium, called helmets “a very good measure for reducing road accidents,” and he urged strong implementation of all traffic laws for all vehicles.
Brig. Gen. Tho Khan, director of traffic order for the Ministry of Interior, said Monday police would strengthen the traffic law “with efficiency and effectiveness.”
“More importantly, we must introduce people to understanding the law and help protect their lives and property,” he said.
“If you want to drive your motorcycle without a fine, you must wear your helmet from now on,” he said during a graduate student ceremony in Phnom Penh, “to protect your life and to avoid road accidents as well as property damage.”
More the 1,500 people were reported killed in traffic accidents in 2007, nearly double the number in 2003. An Asian Development Bank survey in 2003 counted 824 dead in road accidents, estimating a $116 million cost to the country.
“The traffic law will be fully implemented and fined from Jan. 1, 2009, because the road accidents causes the loss of human life more and more,” Hun Sen said, calling traffic fatalities a “bigger disaster” than AIDS and land mines.
The prime minister also called on civil servants, police and commune and village leaders to wear helmets as an example, while urging helmet vendors to keep prices low.
Travel on Cambodian roadways without a helmet is punishable by a 3,000 riel, or $0.70, fine. By contrast, a helmet can cost between $10 and $20.
Meas Chan Dy, coordinator for helmet safety at Handicap International Belgium, called helmets “a very good measure for reducing road accidents,” and he urged strong implementation of all traffic laws for all vehicles.
Brig. Gen. Tho Khan, director of traffic order for the Ministry of Interior, said Monday police would strengthen the traffic law “with efficiency and effectiveness.”
“More importantly, we must introduce people to understanding the law and help protect their lives and property,” he said.
9 comments:
The helmet may save life, but it may also increase poverty.
Kuoy Pichet
Samdach said from now people must wore helmet/condoms!
Wearing helmet is good as this is worldwide road safety procedure.
But the reinforcement must be clean from bribing/corruption especially some traffic police.
11:16 AM
How the fuck do you manage to bring the word "corruption" into a helmet enforcement? Tell me how people can get bribed from this lol?
11:34 AM,
You don't know this or you pretent not to know or you are completely dumped.
Stop pretending or you could be that really psycho!
Helmets alone are not enough, driving carefully and respectively will help.
this goes to show the police department is weak, not the prime minister!
mr. hun sen is probably the first khmer leader who tries to educate the public on new laws, policies or regulations, etc... in the history of cambodia, one never heard of any of our past leaders tried to educate the public like this. this is very good for cambodia, to say the least. it's called a new cambodia, not a stone age or dark age cambodia anymore! god bless the prime minister and cambodia for doing a fine job so far, unprecedented in the history of cambodia, to say the least. khmer people like me are so proud of our prime minister, mr. hun sen for setting good example for all of the people to follow. it may seem odd, but it's the beginning of more good things for cambodia. everybody has gotten to start somewhere, somehow! god bless cambodia.
guy, don't forget CONDOMS!
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